By Scott Gilfoid: Not only is Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KO’s) willing to fight IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (31-2, 22 KO’s) in a 3rd fight, but he also says he’s willing to fight Froch in the UK in London again. Kessler doesn’t care that he might be in a situation where he could need a knockout to win, he still wants to face Froch a third time.
Kessler said to Sky Sports Ringside “I would a third one…I would go back to London. I don’t care. Maybe not a neutral place because wouldn’t recognize us or know about boxing, and would have to travel. So I think we have to do it in London or Copenhagen.”
Man, Kessler already bending over backwards to get the third fight with Froch. That’s a lousy way of starting the negotiation process. I can just see Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn getting this news, and then getting the upper hand in the negotiations. Kessler has got to be a little tougher this this, because he’s coming across as almost desperate.
Someone needs to teach Kessler how to negotiate. The way he should be with Froch and Hearn is to give a choice of Copenhagen or Germany in take it leave it manner. He also needs to ask for a bigger cut of the financial pie this time, because Froch had never had a fight do as well as his last one with Kessler. That tells me that Kessler was the main ingredient to making that happen.
If I’m Kessler’s promoter, I’m asking for 55-45 in the negotiations and nothing less. If Froch and Hearn don’t want to say yes to that, then let them fight Andre Ward. Froch doesn’t have a lot of options for big fights other than Kessler. Froch blew it by not fighting Nathan Cleverly before he got spanked. Now it’s too late. Froch’s November 23rd fight against George Groves probably won’t do that well, because Groves isn’t a star.
As far as the fight goes, Kessler can definitely beat Froch in a rematch, but he might need a new trainer to light a fire under his backside. Kessler looked half asleep in the ring last May against Froch. It was like Kessler wasn’t into the fight. If that’s how it’s going to be, then Kessler needs to spare the boxing fans by saying no to the third fight.
That was a terrible performance from Kessler in a fight that he should have won. Froch would have been beaten by a lot of super middleweights on that night, and it makes me wonder whether Kessler is shot or has lost his desire to fight. Either way, both Froch and Kessler looked like two fighters past it in that fight. I think Froch’s age is starting to show it’s negative effects, and it’s not pretty to see.
I’m not sure that Hearn will be able to sell a third fight between Froch and Kessler if Froch gets spanked by Groves in November. I mean, who want to see Froch fight Kessler a third time if Froch gets whipped by Groves? Can you imagine Hearn trying to sell the Froch-Kessler III fight for 15 pounds to the British public? It would be like trying to sell 1 month old moldy bread on the market.
I think Froch should have told Hearn no to the idea of fighting Groves. I know it’s a good move on Hearn’s part in matching Groves against Froch, because Groves is young, and it’ll be good for his career to be seen beating an old lion like Froch. Hearn would then have a much more popular and much younger Groves in his stable to fight for many years to come. Froch should have taken a tune-up while he waited for Kessler to get off the pot and make a decision about his career.
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